Tobias returns home and torments Hoppers
from Bill Hass with Bill on Baseball(Greensboro Grasshoppers) at www.gsohoppers.com
There actually was a Greensboro highlight Thursday night at NewBridge Bank Park.
It’s just that it came in the form of Josh Tobias, a Greensboro native, who had two hits and three RBIs as the Lakewood BlueClaws drubbed the Hoppers 10-3.
Tobias, a graduate of Southeast Guilford High School, had a single that drove in one run and a double that drove in two more as Lakewood opened up a 6-0 lead after four innings and coasted from there.
“I had about 20 people here,” he said of his contingent in the stands. “It was exciting to play in front of my friends and family in my home town. Not too many players get to do that after they leave high school.”
After leaving Southeast, Tobias played four years at Florida and was drafted in the 10th round last summer by Philadelphia. At age 23, he needs to accelerate rapidly through the Phillies’ system.
After his 2-for-5 night off Hoppers pitching, Tobias’ batting average stands at .358, sixth in the South Atlantic League. He said the competition has been about what he expected. The pitchers throw harder than he the ones he faced in college, but so far it’s nothing he hasn’t handled.
“I keep a simple plan,” he said. “Hit the ball hard and, in the field, slow it down and make the plays. I want to help my team win any way possible.”
There haven’t been been wins so far — The BlueClaws are just 3-12 after beating the Hoppers. But there are still 125 games to play and Tobias said he wasn’t worried about the slow start.
The loss was the Hoppers’ third straight and dropped them to 5-10 on the season, including 1-7 at home. This was one of their worst performances, with the two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning merely cosmetic.
Taylor Munden had three hits, including a home run that was not only his first of the year, but the first by the team all season. Alex Fernandez added three more hits.
NOTES: Chuck Weaver took the loss for the Hoppers … Rony Cabrera had a pair of errors at shortstop … Shane Watson picked up the win for Lakewood, throwing seven innings and striking out eight … Shortstop Emmanuel Marrero, the No. 9 hitter in the BlueClaws’ lineup, went 4-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored … Hoppers catcher Rodrigo Vigil, who suffered a broken right hand on a foul tip durng the road trip, had surgery and could return later this season … The teams meet again Friday at 7 p.m., with Justin Jacome starting for Greensboro.